Clueless first-timer needs advice about cruises please

Otis McNatt wrote:
Hi,


We're not into flashy entertainment or
fancy dinners where you have to dress up to enter. We're more into
working out and relaxation in an environment different from our daily
round.

Any of the newer Royal Caribbean or Carnival Ships would have better
workout facilities than the Century.

This ship and cruise seems to maybe be for us. But I've read
that on this ship, there are two formal dinners per week, where formal
dress is required.

Not really required but a suit of tux is suggested.

Now I know that I must look incredibly uninformed,
but what do the people eat who don't want to participate in such a formal
dinner? Are there other alternatives?

Yes, you can have dinner in the buffet restaurant casually dressed.

And as far as the roughly $20/day
tipping that I've read is to be expected from us, how does this work?
Some cruise lines apparently pre-charge the customer (at booking I guess)
for the expected typical gratuities, and there was another option that
was similar. Why not just tip as you go, as we do normally on land when
we get service for something? As you can probably tell, I'm totally in
the dark on this whole thing.

On some ships, tipping is customary on the last evening aboard. More
and more on others, tips are added to your shipboard account, but these
can be adjusted.


I know that there are lots of differect types of cruises attracting
different types of people. Have any of you ever been on this particular
trip with this line?

Yes. It's a nice ship.

Just what is the dress code, or am I making too much of this?

The suggested attire will be 2 nights formal, one informal (jacket and
perhaps tie, but not strictly adhered to), and the other nights will be
casual (slacks and shirt).

Are there lots of hidden charges I should know about
beforehand? Do most of these lines offer shuttles to/from the Ft. Lauderdale
airport? Anyway, I think we'd probably get a kick out of this, but I'm
just wondering if it's too much of a hassle for a vacation...
Many thanks for anyone with good advice.

No other hidden charges, but they do charge for alcohol and carbonated
soft drinks. Yes, they provide shuttle service for a fee, but you are
better off and will pay less taking a cab from the FLL airport to the
pier (about $13).

Howie

In article , Otis
McNatt wrote:

Now I know that I must look incredibly uninformed, but what do the
people eat who don't want to participate in such a formal dinner?
Are there other alternatives?

Howard explained the dress code but I would add that Century is not one
of those ships that has good alternatives to the regular dining room.
They do have alternative dining and a sushi bar in the lido area but I
don't recomend it.

--
Charles

"Otis McNatt" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

My wife and I have traveled many places and done many things, but
have never taken one of these things. I know that many of you here
have to be old pros when it comes to this subject, so I thought I'd
learn from your wisdom.

The cruise that I'm eyeing is one from the Celebrity Line, which
is a 7-nighter. It departs from Ft. Lauderdale on 9-18 (haha, prime
hurricane season) and returns on the 25th. The ship's name is _Century_.
It will make seven stops along the route (San Juan, St. Maarten, etc.)
and they only have some interior rooms available at this late date, except
for the highest-end room type which we're not interested in. I think the
cruise for both of us is listed at about $1300.


Actually, it only makes 4 stops - San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten and
Nassau.


I've tried to educate myself a little on this by reading reviews and
some generic advice for first-timers from a commercial site, but I'm
still a little unclear on it. We're not into flashy entertainment or
fancy dinners where you have to dress up to enter. We're more into
working out and relaxation in an environment different from our daily
round. This ship and cruise seems to maybe be for us. But I've read
that on this ship, there are two formal dinners per week, where formal
dress is required. Now I know that I must look incredibly uninformed,
but what do the people eat who don't want to participate in such a formal
dinner? Are there other alternatives?


You will find nearly everyone on the ship participates in formal nights. A
suit or even
a coat and tie will do. It is also a big picture taking night (a cruise line
profit center).
But the women love to have pictures taken.



And as far as the roughly $20/day
tipping that I've read is to be expected from us, how does this work?
Some cruise lines apparently pre-charge the customer (at booking I guess)
for the expected typical gratuities, and there was another option that
was similar. Why not just tip as you go, as we do normally on land when
we get service for something?


You can not tip as you go, because it is a cashless society onboard. You
will be
issued a onboard credit card/room key which you will use to pay for
everything not
included. This card will be tied to your credit card at check-in. Drinks
bought onboard
will include a tip for the waiter. However, the kind of tipping you are
refering to is
for your maid, your regular dinner waiter, and his/her assistant.
This tipping is usually done at the end of the cruise, in cash. However,
some cruise ships
are now allowing/requiring you to charge it to your onboard account.


As you can probably tell, I'm totally in
the dark on this whole thing.

I know that there are lots of differect types of cruises attracting
different types of people. Have any of you ever been on this particular
trip with this line? Just what is the dress code, or am I making too
much of this? Are there lots of hidden charges I should know about
beforehand?

Things you pay for in addition to the cruise price (hidden charges):
Alcohol, wine
Sodas
Massages
Shore excursions
Gift shop
Gambling
Bingo
Pictures


Do most of these lines offer shuttles to/from the Ft. Lauderdale
airport? Anyway, I think we'd probably get a kick out of this, but I'm
just wondering if it's too much of a hassle for a vacation...
Many thanks for anyone with good advice.

Much less hassle than a land vacation. And if you like to sleep late -
interior rooms are great.

John

On 29 Jul 2004 12:15:58 -0700, (Otis McNatt)
wrote:

Hi,

My wife and I have traveled many places and done many things, but
have never taken one of these things. I know that many of you here
have to be old pros when it comes to this subject, so I thought I'd
learn from your wisdom.

The cruise that I'm eyeing is one from the Celebrity Line, which
is a 7-nighter. It departs from Ft. Lauderdale on 9-18 (haha, prime
hurricane season) and returns on the 25th. The ship's name is _Century_.
It will make seven stops along the route (San Juan, St. Maarten, etc.)
and they only have some interior rooms available at this late date, except
for the highest-end room type which we're not interested in. I think the
cruise for both of us is listed at about $1300.

I've tried to educate myself a little on this by reading reviews and
some generic advice for first-timers from a commercial site, but I'm
still a little unclear on it. We're not into flashy entertainment or
fancy dinners where you have to dress up to enter.

We're more into
working out and relaxation in an environment different from our daily
round. This ship and cruise seems to maybe be for us. But I've read
that on this ship, there are two formal dinners per week, where formal
dress is required. Now I know that I must look incredibly uninformed,
but what do the people eat who don't want to participate in such a formal
dinner? Are there other alternatives? And as far as the roughly $20/day
tipping that I've read is to be expected from us, how does this work?

On Celebrity, you can choose the option of just adding it to your on
board account. Tips for people who bring you drinks are added
automatically as a service charge. The main tips are for waiter,
assistant waiter, and you cabin steward. These are people you will
probably come to like so much you will be happy to tip them, but at
any rate, they get almost their entire income from your tips. So
about $3.50 per day per person for the steward and waiter, maybe half
that for the ass't.

Some cruise lines apparently pre-charge the customer (at booking I guess)
for the expected typical gratuities, and there was another option that
was similar. Why not just tip as you go, as we do normally on land when
we get service for something? As you can probably tell, I'm totally in
the dark on this whole thing.

I know that there are lots of differect types of cruises attracting
different types of people. Have any of you ever been on this particular
trip with this line? Just what is the dress code, or am I making too
much of this? Are there lots of hidden charges I should know about
beforehand? Do most of these lines offer shuttles to/from the Ft. Lauderdale
airport? Anyway, I think we'd probably get a kick out of this, but I'm
just wondering if it's too much of a hassle for a vacation...
Many thanks for anyone with good advice.

Well, a big attraction of Celebrity is the dinners, which ARE flashy
and fancy. YOu can dine informally dressed in the Ocean Grill (the
buffet area on the next to top deck) any night.

I'd say, all in all, try it and see how you like it. The price is
certainly right. I would suggest you take a suit and try one of the
formal dinners, though.


Mason Barge

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
-- Abraham Lincoln

Mason,

I can only add to the good advice that has been provided thus far that given
an inside room, Otis and his wife will get to know each other much better
over the seven days.

As long as they are not claustrophobic, they can get to know cruising
without spending big bucks. Should they choose to dress, meals are the same
as offered to those in the Penthouse, and they would not be excluded from
any activity on the ship.

IMHO four great first time ports, and I would say "go for it".
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ



"Mason Barge" wrote in message
...
On 29 Jul 2004 12:15:58 -0700, (Otis McNatt)
wrote:

Hi,

My wife and I have traveled many places and done many things, but
have never taken one of these things. I know that many of you here
have to be old pros when it comes to this subject, so I thought I'd
learn from your wisdom.

The cruise that I'm eyeing is one from the Celebrity Line, which
is a 7-nighter. It departs from Ft. Lauderdale on 9-18 (haha, prime
hurricane season) and returns on the 25th. The ship's name is _Century_.
It will make seven stops along the route (San Juan, St. Maarten, etc.)
and they only have some interior rooms available at this late date,
except
for the highest-end room type which we're not interested in. I think the
cruise for both of us is listed at about $1300.

I've tried to educate myself a little on this by reading reviews and
some generic advice for first-timers from a commercial site, but I'm
still a little unclear on it. We're not into flashy entertainment or
fancy dinners where you have to dress up to enter.

We're more into
working out and relaxation in an environment different from our daily
round. This ship and cruise seems to maybe be for us. But I've read
that on this ship, there are two formal dinners per week, where formal
dress is required. Now I know that I must look incredibly uninformed,
but what do the people eat who don't want to participate in such a formal
dinner? Are there other alternatives? And as far as the roughly $20/day
tipping that I've read is to be expected from us, how does this work?

On Celebrity, you can choose the option of just adding it to your on
board account. Tips for people who bring you drinks are added
automatically as a service charge. The main tips are for waiter,
assistant waiter, and you cabin steward. These are people you will
probably come to like so much you will be happy to tip them, but at
any rate, they get almost their entire income from your tips. So
about $3.50 per day per person for the steward and waiter, maybe half
that for the ass't.

Some cruise lines apparently pre-charge the customer (at booking I guess)
for the expected typical gratuities, and there was another option that
was similar. Why not just tip as you go, as we do normally on land when
we get service for something? As you can probably tell, I'm totally in
the dark on this whole thing.

I know that there are lots of differect types of cruises attracting
different types of people. Have any of you ever been on this particular
trip with this line? Just what is the dress code, or am I making too
much of this? Are there lots of hidden charges I should know about
beforehand? Do most of these lines offer shuttles to/from the Ft.
Lauderdale
airport? Anyway, I think we'd probably get a kick out of this, but I'm
just wondering if it's too much of a hassle for a vacation...
Many thanks for anyone with good advice.

Well, a big attraction of Celebrity is the dinners, which ARE flashy
and fancy. YOu can dine informally dressed in the Ocean Grill (the
buffet area on the next to top deck) any night.

I'd say, all in all, try it and see how you like it. The price is
certainly right. I would suggest you take a suit and try one of the
formal dinners, though.


Mason Barge

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please
bring me some coffee."
-- Abraham Lincoln

Just a quickie. I know that a lot of people are taking a "Try it you'll
like it" attitude toward dress on Celebrity. I'd like to suggest a different
tack. If you can rethink this, you might consider a cruise on Norwegian,
Royal Caribbean, or possibly Carnival (depending on the ship) or on
Princess.

All of these cruise lines will let you be casual at dinner, and not feel
funny about it. I suspect with Celebrity you will either cave or feel a
little like a fish out of water.

All of these cruise lines will have good exercise and activity oriented stuff.

The ports probably won't be the same. How important are they?

Julie

In rec.travel.cruises Otis McNatt wrote:
Hi,

My wife and I have traveled many places and done many things, but
have never taken one of these things. I know that many of you here
have to be old pros when it comes to this subject, so I thought I'd
learn from your wisdom.

The cruise that I'm eyeing is one from the Celebrity Line, which
is a 7-nighter. It departs from Ft. Lauderdale on 9-18 (haha, prime
hurricane season) and returns on the 25th. The ship's name is _Century_.
It will make seven stops along the route (San Juan, St. Maarten, etc.)
and they only have some interior rooms available at this late date, except
for the highest-end room type which we're not interested in. I think the
cruise for both of us is listed at about $1300.

I've tried to educate myself a little on this by reading reviews and
some generic advice for first-timers from a commercial site, but I'm
still a little unclear on it. We're not into flashy entertainment or
fancy dinners where you have to dress up to enter. We're more into
working out and relaxation in an environment different from our daily
round. This ship and cruise seems to maybe be for us. But I've read
that on this ship, there are two formal dinners per week, where formal
dress is required. Now I know that I must look incredibly uninformed,
but what do the people eat who don't want to participate in such a formal
dinner? Are there other alternatives? And as far as the roughly $20/day
tipping that I've read is to be expected from us, how does this work?
Some cruise lines apparently pre-charge the customer (at booking I guess)
for the expected typical gratuities, and there was another option that
was similar. Why not just tip as you go, as we do normally on land when
we get service for something? As you can probably tell, I'm totally in
the dark on this whole thing.

I know that there are lots of differect types of cruises attracting
different types of people. Have any of you ever been on this particular
trip with this line? Just what is the dress code, or am I making too
much of this? Are there lots of hidden charges I should know about
beforehand? Do most of these lines offer shuttles to/from the Ft. Lauderdale
airport? Anyway, I think we'd probably get a kick out of this, but I'm
just wondering if it's too much of a hassle for a vacation...
Many thanks for anyone with good advice.

--
Otis

--
Julie
**********
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm

Just a followup. Of the cruise lines I suggested, only Norwegian will let
you be casual every night in every venue. The others will have formal nights
(Norwegian has an "optional" formal night.) where at least some of the dining
rooms will expect you to have a jacket. The difference between these and
Celebrity is that you won't be terribly in the minority, and they will have
more options for casual dining. Plus ont he semi-formal nights on these
lines a polo shirt and dockers will do just fine.

Your "Golf wear" as it were.

However, if you truly want to wear shorts in the dining room every night,
then I have to heavily recommend Norwegian Cruise Lines. They will accept
this, you will be able to eat anywhere at any time. (On their optional formal
nights there might be one dining room off limits to shorts, but another dining
room will have the exact same menu.)

Norwegian has two cruises to the Caribbean going in September; the Norwegian
Sea does the Western Caribbean and the Dawn does the Bahamas (not really the
Caribbean) from New York.

If I were you, I'd choose one of these for September departure instead of
Celebrity. You can choose the more interesting ports on another voyage (I
also highly recommend Norwegian's Winter Southern Caribbean itineraries out
of San Juan. Thanks to Spirit Air, San Juan is much less expensive to
get to than it had been.)

Julie

In rec.travel.cruises Otis McNatt wrote:
Juliana wrote:

Just a quickie. I know that a lot of people are taking a "Try it you'll
like it" attitude toward dress on Celebrity. I'd like to suggest a different
tack. If you can rethink this, you might consider a cruise on Norwegian,
Royal Caribbean, or possibly Carnival (depending on the ship) or on
Princess.

All of these cruise lines will let you be casual at dinner, and not feel
funny about it. I suspect with Celebrity you will either cave or feel a
little like a fish out of water.

Thanks for touching on this Juliana. I was beginning to suspect that
I'd happened on a cruise line that emphasized glitz, and that they
were not all the same.

I realize that since the cruise business now caters to the masses, that
dress codes may be desirable because I know how some people are. Some folks
would show up for dinner wearing their grungy old sandals and tank tops,
with all their pimples showing...YUK. Then again, you can put a nice suit
or evening gown on a boor, and they're still boorish; but I guess they
would look a little nicer anyway. But the bottom line is that my idea
of a tropical vacation does not include packing a suit for any reason.
And my wife feels the same way. Our idea of "casual" does not require
slacks, or "golf" wear, as Ive read. If we can't wear shorts everywhere,
then we don't care to be there.

And thanks a bunch to everyone who posted. All were read, and all were
informative!

--
Otis

--
Julie
**********
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm

Juliana L Holm wrote:

However, if you truly want to wear shorts in the dining room every night,
then I have to heavily recommend Norwegian Cruise Lines. They will accept
this, you will be able to eat anywhere at any time.

I know about Freestyle Dining, but never knew that you could wear shorts
in the dining rooms on NCL.

sue

Consider that cruising in general is a rather refined and to some extent more
elegant than a week at the beach or a mountain cabin. Even more so than most
all-inclusive resorts. Cruising just may not be for you. It's not for
everyone.

In rec.travel.cruises Sue and Kevin Mullen wrote:


Juliana L Holm wrote:

However, if you truly want to wear shorts in the dining room every night,
then I have to heavily recommend Norwegian Cruise Lines. They will accept
this, you will be able to eat anywhere at any time.

I know about Freestyle Dining, but never knew that you could wear shorts
in the dining rooms on NCL.

They advertise Freestyle including wearing whatever you like to dinner. Like I
said some of the dining rooms enforce a dress code (always filled by a polo and
pair of slacks at the most picky) but there is invariably another dining room
with the same menu that will let you in. Their upscale restaurant, Le Bistro,
will require slacks, also.

In my two NCL Cruises I frequently saw shorts in the formal dining rooms. I
won't wear them, but I have seen them. They don't bother me.

--
Julie
**********
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm